Palestine Today 01 27 2010

Welcome to Palestine Today, a service of the International Middle East Media Centre, www.imemc.org, for Wednesday, January 27th, 2010.

Multiple arrests by both the Israeli military and the Palestinian Authority, and attacks by settlers continue in the West Bank. These stories and more, coming up, stay tuned.

The News Cast

Dozens of armed settlers invaded the village of Beit Illu, central West Bank, on Tuesday evening. Local sources reported that the group ransacked homes and set fire to a car.

The Israeli army did not attempt to stop the attacks; nor did they attempt to force the settlers out of the village. This follows a recent attack where settlers uprooted several olive trees that belong to the residents of the village.

In related news, Rabbi Yitzhak Shapira was detained and interrogated by the Israeli police in connection with the arson of a mosque in the village of Yasuf, southern West Bank.

The Israeli police said that investigators are still trying to determine the role on the Rabbi in this arson. Seven settlers have been arrested in connection to the attack that took place last December.

In other news, fifteen Palestinian civilians were detained by Israeli troops, Wednesday, during pre dawn military invasions targeting a number of northern West Bank communities. The Israeli military claimed that those detained were on its âWanted Listâ. The army added that all 15 men were taken to military detention camps for questioning.

From the beginning of this week, up until Tuesday, the Israeli military have detained 17 Palestinian civilians using the same claims, bringing the total detained this week to 32.

At the internal level, Palestinian Security Forces arrested 14 members of the Hamas political party in the West Bank this Wednesday at dawn.
In a press release from the Hamas movement, listing those detained, it is highlighted that those arrested include an Imam and a journalist.

The statement also alleges that Fateh security forces still hold Hamas party members in detention, despite a Palestinian court order demanding their immediate release.

Conclusion

Thank you for joining us from occupied Bethlehem, you have been listening to Palestine Today from the International Middle East Media Center, www.imemc.org. This report has been brought to you by Ghassan Bannoura.